Franciscan Field Guide: People, Places, Practices, and Prayers

By Rosemary Stets

Get ready to discover Franciscan flora and fauna! This handy reference book provides a complete overview of the history, major figures and locations, and most influential texts of the Franciscan tradition. From Pica Bernardone to the “Prayer to the Trinity,” Sister Rosemary Stets has compiled an at-your-fingertips guide to the people, places, practices, and prayers that comprise the Franciscan tradition.
 
Whether you’re a new member of the order, a layperson working for a Franciscan organization, or simply someone with a Franciscan heart, you will be inspired by the rich history and deep spirituality of the Franciscan way of life.
 
Franciscan Field Guide includes sections on:

• The Franciscan family of religious orders and congregations
• Franciscan gospel values
• Places, symbols, and topics key to understanding the Franciscan tradition
• People whose lives shaped the Franciscan story
• Selected Franciscan writings and sources
• Franciscan prayers

• Language: English
• Publisher: Franciscan Media
• Release date: Nov 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781632533975

Book preview

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FRANCISCAN FIELD GUIDE

FRANCISCAN FIELD GUIDE

People, Places, Practices, and Prayers

ROSEMARY STETS, OSF

Scripture texts in this work are taken from The Catholic Edition of the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1965, 1966 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission.

Excerpts from The History of Franciscan Theology, ed. Kenan Osborne, copyright 1994, and The Franciscan Intellectual Tradition: Tracing Its Origins and Identifying Its Central Components by Kenan Osborne, Franciscan Heritage Series, vol. 1, copyright 2003, reprinted with permission from Franciscan Institute Publications, The Franciscan Institute, St. Bonaventure University, NY. Excerpts from Clare of Assisi: Early Documents, trans. Regis J. Armstrong, copyright 2006, and Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vols. 1, 2, and 3, ed. Regis J. Armstrong, copyright 1999, reprinted with permission from New City Press. Excerpts from A History of the Franciscan Order from Its Origins to the Year 1517 by J. R. H. Moorman (1968), Reprinted by permission of Oxford University Press.

Cataloging information on file with the Library of Congress.

LCCN 2022942001

Cover and book design by Mark Sullivan

ISBN 978-1-63253-398-2

Copyright ©2022 Rosemary Stets, OSF

All rights reserved.

Published by Franciscan Media

28 W. Liberty Street

Cincinnati, OH 45202-6498

www.FranciscanMedia.org

Printed in the United States of America

Dedication

To Sister Margaret Carney for her inspiring work as a Franciscan writer and scholar. In Margaret Carney, the entire Franciscan world has a champion and guide. We owe her immense gratitude for her spiritual and scholarly gifts shared so generously with all and for giving us the brilliant studies of Francis and Clare of Assisi, with whom she has walked a life’s journey of joy and faith, the consummate Franciscan learner.

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION

FRANCIS AND CLARE: WHERE THE TRADITION BEGINS

THE FRANCISCAN FAMILY: SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF ST. FRANCIS

Francis: The Forma Minorum

First Order: Order of Friars Minor (Fratres Minores—Lesser Brothers)

Development of Spirituals, Observants, Conventuals, Capuchins

Second Order: Poor Clares

Third Order: Origin of the Penitential Movement for the Laity

Third Order Regular Congregations of Men and Women (TOR)

FRANCISCAN GOSPEL VALUES: THE ONGOING HERITAGE OF THE FRANCISCAN FAMILY

Contemplation

Conversion

Minority

Poverty

Integral Ecology: Laudato Sí and Fratelli Tutti

FRANCISCAN PLACES, SYMBOLS, TOPICS: BREAKING OPEN THE TRADITION

Assisi

Basilica of St. Clare

Basilica of St. Francis

Beguines

Carceri

Chapter of Mats

Franciscan Coat of Arms

Franciscan Intellectual Tradition

Franciscan Question

Greccio

Gubbio

Hagiography

Incarnation

La Verna

Mendicant Controversy

Portiuncula—Basilica of Our Lady of the Angels

Prayer

Rome

San Damiano

Stigmata

Tau

Transitus

FRANCISCAN PERSONS: THE LESSER BROTHERS, POOR SISTERS, AND EARLY PENITENTS

Agnes of Assisi

Agnes of Bohemia

Alexander of Hales

Angela of Foligno

Angelo Tancredi of Rieti

Anthony of Padua

Bernard of Quintavalle

Bernardine of Siena

Bonaventure of Bagnoregio

Brother Elias

Elizabeth of Hungary

Giles of Assisi

John Capistran

John Duns Scotus

John of Parma

Julian of Speyer

Lady Jacoba of Settesoli

Leo of Assisi

Margaret of Cortona

Peter of Catania

Peter John Olivi

Pietro Bernardone and Pica Bernardone

Rufino of Assisi

Sylvester of Assisi

Sultan Malek el-Kamil

Thomas of Celano

William of Ockham

SELECTED FRANCISCAN SOURCES, WRITINGS, AND SAYINGS: FOUNDATIONAL TEXTS OF THE FRANCISCAN STORY

Assisi Compilation

Canticle of Creation

Deus, Meus et Omnia

Doceat Christus Vos Facere

Itinerarium Mentis in Deum

Knowledge Joined with Love

Legend of the Three Companions

Little Flowers of St. Francis

Major and Minor Legends of St. Bonaventure

Rule of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis

Sacrum Commercium

The Testament

True Joy

Writings of St. Clare

Writings of St. Francis

SINGING THE PRAISES OF GOD: SELECTED FRANCISCAN PRAYERS

Admonition of St. Clare to Agnes of Bohemia

Blessing Given to Brother Leo

Canticle of Creation

Exhortation of Our Blessed Father Francis to the Friars

Marian Antiphon Taken from the Office of the Passion

Praises of God

Praises to Be Said at All the Liturgical Hours

Prayer before the Cross

Prayer to the Trinity

Salutation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thanksgiving

Tota Pulchra

We Adore You

AFTERWORD: FRANCIS OF ROME—FRANCIS OF ASSISI

APPENDIX ONE: CHRONOLOGY OF IMPORTANT PERSONS AND EVENTS—FRANCISCANS IN MEDIEVAL HISTORY

APPENDIX TWO: FRIARS MINOR AND THE PAPACY—THE RULE OF FRANCIS AND HOLY POVERTY FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION

FOR FURTHER EXPLORATION

REFERENCES

NOTES

Acknowledgments

I would like to acknowledge the individuals who assisted me with the research at St. Bonaventure University when I originally began this project. I am especially indebted to Michael Blastic, OFM, my instructor and project adviser during the semester I spent at St. Bonaventure. His editorial direction, expert knowledge of the sources, and helpful organizing suggestions were invaluable. Michael patiently read and reread every draft of the text for accuracy and clarity and encouraged me to consider publishing for a broader readership, particularly Secular Franciscans and the member institutions of the Association of Franciscan Colleges and Universities. I am grateful to many additional readers who critiqued drafts of the text in progress, providing helpful insights and textual revisions.

I am also grateful to my congregation, the Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, for granting me the opportunity to pursue Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University in the past, and to Sister Marilisa H. daSilva, Congregational Minister, for her support and understanding as I balanced the time for this project with the responsibilities of my ministry. I am especially indebted to Sister Roberta Agnes McKelvie, OSF, who not only helped me edit the original text but has also been an important partner in this updated revision, investing many hours checking textual accuracy, verifying sources, confirming permissions granted, updating references, and assembling all necessary and required data for Franciscan Media publications. Her knowledge of the tradition, her skills as a scholar and writer, and her authentic Franciscan instincts have been invaluable in helping me complete the project.

To one and all: Pax et Bonum

Introduction

Franciscan Field Guide is intended as a foundational overview of the Franciscan story: the persons, places, sources, traditions, and topics associated with the First, Second, and Third Orders of St. Francis, arranged in thematic sections as an alphabetical compendium of Franciscan information. It has been compiled to help illuminate the rich history of the Franciscan Order, identifying significant sources, major figures, historical places, and important terms that are part of the tradition’s enduring heritage. The Franciscan tradition is more than eight hundred years old, with followers from many walks of life. Understanding the rich history of St. Francis and his early brothers and sisters in the context of a fascinating and complex religious movement can greatly enhance our understanding of this thirteenth-century saint, his impact on medieval society, his enduring influence on our contemporary world, and his universal appeal to all faiths.

St. Francis of Assisi, as a patron and model in living the Gospel, is a hero for our times. His humble yet charismatic personality is as dramatic today as it was for his own day, even as it continues to change the world. The Franciscan intellectual tradition and the compelling story of Francis of Assisi seem to have a never-ending fascination for scholars, novelists, dramatists, screenwriters, and storytellers of every age, language, and culture. It is my hope that this text can provide the vocabulary to effectively communicate Franciscan values and insights to followers of this saint.

In the last ten years we have experienced rapid changes in our world, Church, society, politics, and cultural realities. But the human heart does not change in its fundamental longing for peace, kindness, justice, friendship, and heroes who inspire us to seek the good and to love and serve God in one another. St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi have universally touched hearts by always breathing new life into these dreams in every age.

In the fall of 2009 Alvernia University granted me a sabbatical semester at St. Bonaventure University, where I began to research material on the Franciscan tradition that would serve as a resource for my work in mission education. I envisioned a print resource that would be a practical handbook of short entry terms dealing with Franciscan history and spirituality. Many individuals at the university were unfamiliar with the centuries-old Franciscan academic tradition, understanding only that St. Francis was the saint who loved nature in its many expressions.

In January 2010, I returned with a wealth of information, eager to share the rich and varying elements of Franciscan history and tradition with the academic community at Alvernia University. I wanted to create a simple text that would introduce readers to the persons, places, symbols, writings, and language of Franciscan culture, a lexicon for Franciscan learners that would educate and expand their understanding of a Franciscan way of life. The project took on a life of its own. In sharing content with colleagues and associates in Franciscan schools, I began receiving requests for copies before the text was available. I prepared a manuscript and signed a contract with a local printer to produce a limited number of copies of Can You Speak Franciscan? but within a few years, the orders soon outpaced the supply.

This current edition came to fruition through the encouragement and support of Sister Margaret Carney, OSF, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities. Margaret wished to use this text with students enrolled in the Padua Project, a training program in Franciscan mission-based leadership for the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University. As a prominent lecturer and leader in Franciscan circles, she recognized its value in preparing a new generation of lay mission directors in forming faith communities in Franciscan higher education.

Franciscan Field Guide is intended for a general audience interested in Saints Francis and Clare of Assisi and seeking to understand the complexity of the Franciscan tradition. The style is vernacular, rather than scholarly, with short entries supplemented by references and citations. It will be particularly helpful to Secular Franciscans and laity associated with Franciscan-sponsored institutions.

The section on the Franciscan family identifies the three branches of the Franciscan Order that exist today. The values and spirituality in the text are those commonly associated with Third Order Regular